Improvement in devices for delivering mail-bags to cars



ttnitril 5%ittir5 that dfiitt JAMES B. MoLAIN, OF. NEWARK, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO HENRY M. WYETH,

OF SAME PLACE.

Letters Patent No, 109,233, dated November 15, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN oEvIcEs FOR DELIVERING MAIL-BAGS TO cARs.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J AMES B. MCLAIN, of Newark, in the county of Licking and State of Ohio, have invented a new and improved Device for Delivering Mail-Bags to Railroad-Oars; and I do hereby declare the'following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tot-he accompanying drawing making a part of this specification, in which the drawing represents a perspective view.

"The object of this invention is to save the necessity For stopping mail-trains in order to take on board the mails at the way-stations.

To accomplishthis object I employ an apparatus designedto stand by the side of the track, having a pivoted arm, upon which the mail-bag is hung in such a position that the mechanism on the car can grasp the bag as the car passes by. In doing this the support is'knocked from under the arm, and the latter falls out of the wayof the other cars.

In the drawing- A is a standard, placed eitherpermanently or upon a removable pedestal, alongside of the railroad-track, with the'lugs a a toward the track.

B in an arm pivoted to the lugs a a, so as to rise and fall vertically; when horizontal, extending nearly or quite within reach of a person on the car, and when not supported dropping to a vertical position alongside of its supporting-standard, out of the way of the cars.

0 0 are lugs attached to standard A, under the lugs to a, and supporting an arm or prop, U, composed of one piece, 0, articulated to the lugs c 0, so as to rise and fall vertically, and a second piece, 0', articulated to the outer end of the part 0 so as to move laterally on that pivot.

\Vhen the arm B is in a horizontal position the arm 0 is employed to support it, its free extremity engaging in a notch on the under side of arm B, as shown in the drawing.

1) is a lever, with one long and one short arm, pivoted to the'urfder side of arm B, near the outer end of the latter, 'so as to move horizontally when arm B is in a horizontal position. a

When. swung around on its fulcrum, the ends of the lever will strike the prop O, knock it from under the arm B, and allow the latter to fall.

E is an arm pivoted to the lower brackets or lugs 4a, and provided with a pivoted extension, which is designed to enter a loop on the lower end of the mailbag, for the purpose of holding it in place on the arm or lever D.

' In practical operation, the arm B is brought to a horizontal position, with the prop under it, and the lever D is arranged with its long end toward the cars and its short end in contact with the prop O on the sideopposite to theooming train.

Ihe mail-matter is then placed or hung on the long arm of lover 1), within reach of mechanism on the mail-car.

As the train passes the mechanism seizes the bag, in doing which the force of the moving train swings the lever around, knocking the support from under the arm B, and causing the latter to fall against its standard, out of the way of the train.

Having thus described my invention,

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of a notched arm, B, and a lever, D, with a post, A and a prop, G, composed of a part, c, articulated vertically to the post, and a part, 0 articulated laterally to the part 0, when constructed to operate substantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

' JAMES B. MOLAIN.

\Vitnesses:

J. D. J ones, A. G. WYETH. 

